Apr 11
The Witchwood Release Schedule
We’re thrilled to deliver Hearthstone’s latest expansion as quickly and as smoothly as possible. The Witchwood will roll out on a region-by-region basis, beginning with the Americas, Europe, and Asia, followed by China a short time later. We estimate that The Witchwood will be available for play by the following times: Americas: April 12 10:00 a.m. PDT Europe: April 12 7:00 p.m. CEST Asia: April 13 2:00 a.m. KST / 1:00 a.m. CST China: April 13 6:00 a.m. CST The Witchwood may be forbidding, but there are rewards for the brave! For a limited time, log in to claim a random class Legendary card and three card packs from The Witchwood, FREE, after the expansion launches! The shadowed trail lies ahead, leading ever deeper into the labyrinth of gnarled branches. Check your weapons, bolster your courage, and prepare to enter The Witchwood!Jesse Hill1
Apr 11

Mar 31
March Ranked Play Update
We’d like to take a moment to apologize for a lack of communication and to shed some light on a recent change to the ranking experience in Legend. When we implemented the 30-game requirement to earn Competitive Points for March 2018, we also increased how much your rank rating shifted after each match in order to make matches played feel more meaningful. Together, these changes accomplished what they set out to do—Legend players who were previously being completely inactive to preserve their rank were actively competing on the ladder again and their ranks were adjusting accordingly. We reverted the increase to how much your rank rating shifted (back to the normal rate) a few days ago to ensure that competition for end-of-season rankings wasn’t as volatile, which would have created a frustrating experience for players who were aiming for certain ranks. Please accept our sincerest apologies for not filling you in on these changes as we were making them. We’re committed to doing a better job of communicating these kinds of changes in the future. The integrity of Ranked Play, and your faith in the system, is of the utmost importance to us. Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you in the Tavern. - Hearthstone TeamJesse Hill0
Mar 31

Mar 16
HCT Rules Update for March 2018
With the season roll at the start of March 2018, significant updates were made to Hearthstone’s Ranked Play system that affected its core functionality. Unfortunately, several unexpected issues were introduced with these updates that resulted in us temporarily disabling Ranked Play mode. While these issues have been resolved, we found that some players who were high in Legend ranking have chosen to stop playing in an attempt to maintain their high ranking. We believe that this runs counter to the spirit of competition that we want for the Hearthstone Championship Tour. For the March 2018 Ranked Play season, we will be adding a requirement to play a minimum of 30 Ranked Standard games in a region to earn Hearthstone Competitive Points from that ranking. We encourage all Hearthstone Championship Tour hopefuls to resume active participation in Ranked Standard games. Thank you for your continued support of Hearthstone esports.Keganbe0
Mar 16

Mar 12
Be Ready to Brave The Witchwood
Join the Gilneas's bravest heroes as they embark on a hunt for the source of a dreadful curse! Whatever lurks in the heart of the Witchwood will soon discover that it has bitten off more than it can chew, for the people of Gilneas bite back. Find the latest announcement about Hearthstone's newest expansion here: https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/21591737/be-ready-to-brave-the-witchwoodJesse Hill0
Mar 12

Feb 5
Quest for Packs – Prize Update
We hope your Quest for Packs has been going well so far. We’ve heard hopeful adventurers voice concerns that the idea of winning the Grand Prize is a daunting prospect. That’s not in the spirit of a proper quest, so to help smooth your way, we’re making the rewards sweeter. The Grand Prize will now include $1200.00 USD. We’ve updated our Quest for Packs blog with this new prizing information. You can also read updated contest rules here! Thanks for joining us in the tavern, and good luck on your quest!Daxxarri0
Feb 5

Nov 15, 2017
Upcoming changes to app purchases
Within the next 24 hours, Canadian players will see updates to Google Play Store prices, bringing pricing in line with the Apple App Store. Alongside this change, we’ll be changing pricing on Blizzard Battle.net® from USD to local currency in Canada, Japan, and New Zealand. Please see our October announcement for more information. Once these changes are live, players in these countries will be able to make purchases in their local currency. Canadian players can pre-purchase Kobolds & Catacombs for $69.99 CAD on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, and $62.99 CAD on the Blizzard Shop or Blizzard Battle.net®.Jesse Hill0
Nov 15, 2017

Nov 6, 2017
Hearthstone Update – November 6
Legends tell of a vast underground world and the countless treasures that lie in store for worthy adventurers! In this update we’re readying your party to explore Hearthstone’s latest expansion when it arrives in December: Kobolds & Catacombs! We also fixed several bugs. Read on for details! The Kobolds & Catacombs pre-purchase bundle is now available from the in-game Shop. This bundle includes 50 card packs at a special price and the For the Hoard card back. Grab your gear and get ready for an adventure, Kobolds & Catacombs releases December 2017! The Legendary card Marin the Fox and the For the Hoard card back are now available for use in-game. Added the following card back:For the Hoard – Acquired from the Kobolds & Catacombs pre-purchase bundle. Nemsy Necrofizzle now has a unique Hero tray. Nemsy Necrofizzle's Hero Power button is now animated. Bug Fixes PC in-game Shop items will now use a three character currency code instead of a currency symbol. The rope animation will now correctly appear even if a player was disconnected when it began. Mana-cost reductions to Crush now correctly apply after all other mana cost changes, such as the effects from cards like Naga Sea Witch. Fixed a crash issue that could occur when viewing the Friend List. Fixed a crash issue that could occur while holding a card during an Arena draft. Fixed an issue that caused the Arena draft to occasionally show no choices. Certain golden Hero Powers are now easier to interact with. Adjusted the volume of several Hallow’s End emotes to be more consistent with other emotes. Adjusted the positioning of several popups so they are not blocked by the chat window. Adjusted the size and positioning of the chat window when the Friend List menu is open. Mana Geode, Mirage Caller, Binding Heal, and Ravasaur Runt are now centered correctly in deck lists. Fixed an issue where certain enchantment banner icons, such as Prince Keleseth’s Blessing, had incorrect art. Death Coil’s art is now correctly centered in its History Tile. The “Open Packs” text is no longer cut off in some languages. Restored Quest text that was missing in some languages. Getaway Kodo will no longer sometimes cause the The Skeleton Knight to return to its owner’s hand in an invisible state. [Mobile] Maiev’s hero portrait will no longer be misaligned on certain mobile devices. [Mobile] The Lich King’s dialogue is now more readable. [Mobile] An incorrect sound effect will no longer occasionally play while scrolling through the Collection Manager.Keganbe0
Nov 6, 2017

Oct 11, 2017
Upcoming Game Mechanics Update
Hearthstone has a lot going on under the hood. The cause-and-effect relationships when cards are played are relatively straightforward and easy to predict, but because of the way certain events are timed, some very surprising things can happen in rare circumstances. We want cards to work the way that you guess they might—in other words, we want the game to work intuitively. In the upcoming patch, we’re making some changes in pursuit of that goal. We want Hearthstone to continue to be strategically deep: a game of careful choices, calculated risks, and exciting events. So we want to be extra clear that this update isn’t a change in depth; instead it’s one step in an ongoing effort improve Hearthstone’s mechanics. Hearthstone’s core gameplay won't change, but what will change are some rare edge-cases. Please be aware: what follows is a detailed look at Hearthstone’s mechanics by Hearthstone Gameplay Engineer Josh Durica. If you want to delve into the nitty-gritty details regarding how this change will work, read on. First, A Glossary Event Events are interactions that occur throughout gameplay that can cause triggers to activate when they happen. Example Events: Whenever a Card is Played After a Card is Played Deathrattle (When this minion dies) Whenever a Minion Takes Damage At the End of Your Turn Trigger A trigger has two parts: an event (usually starts with “Whenever”, “After”, or “At”), and an effect. Sometimes triggers can also have a condition (usually noted with “if” or “while”, but sometimes noted by qualifiers like “your”). Example triggers: Whenever you cast a spell, gain +1 Attack. After you cast a spell, deal 1 damage to ALL minions. At the end of your turn, give another random friendly minion +1 Health. If you control a Secret at the end of your turn, gain +2/+2. Zone In Hearthstone, there are three zones where triggers can happen, and they happen in order: First, any triggers in the Battlefield, then those that occur in a player’s Hand, and finally those that belong to cards in a player’s Deck. Sequence Whenever an action is taken, Hearthstone executes a sequence of steps to resolve what happens. Here’s a simplified example sequence: ACTION: A card is played (this begins the sequence) EVENT: Whenever A Card is Played o Whenever A Card is Played triggers resolve Card ability activates EVENT: After a Card is Played event occurso After a Card is Played triggers resolve Here’s what that sequence would look like using actual cards, if you had a Questing Adventurer and a Flamewaker on the board, and then played Frostbolt: ACTION: Frostbolt is played (this begins the sequence) EVENT: Whenever a Card is Played triggers resolveo Questing Adventurer gains +1/+1 Frostbolt’s text resolves: Deal 3 damage and freeze EVENT: After a Card is Played triggers resolveo Flamewaker shoots two missiles This is a simple example, but a sequence can incorporate many events and triggers. Keep in mind that dealing damage, destroying a minion, and other things can interrupt sequences with new sequences, like in this more detailed example: ACTION: Frostbolt is played (this begins the sequence) EVENT: Whenever a Card is Played triggers resolveo Questing Adventurer gains +1/+1 Frostbolt’s text resolves: Deal 3 damage and freezeo NEW SEQUENCE: Damage dealt o EVENT: Whenever a Minion Takes Damage triggers resolve EVENT: After a Card is Played triggers resolveo Flamewaker shoots 1 missile NEW SEQUENCE: Damage dealt EVENT: Whenever a Card Takes Damage triggers resolveo Flamewaker shoots another missile NEW SEQUENCE: Damage dealt EVENT: Whenever a Card Takes Damage triggers resolve In Pursuit of the Goal If you watched the video in our recent blog post, then you saw two different examples of cards triggering in counter-intuitive ways because they weren’t present when the sequence that activated them took place. That sets the stage for the primary goal we wanted to accomplish with these changes: If you want to trigger off something, you need to be present and valid when that something first happens. A more technical way to say this is: In order for a trigger to activate from a sequence, it needs to be present and valid at the time the sequence began. This means any card featuring a trigger that appears in the middle of a sequence can’t activate during that sequence. So, when you play a card (or when a card is destroyed, or an attack occurs, etc.) you only need to consider what is currently on the board instead of guessing what the board state might be in the middle of the sequence. The Mindgames + Wild Pyromancer interaction showcased in the video is an example of an interaction improved by this change. The valid qualifier is more subtle, but equally important. Before any trigger can activate, it needs to be validated. Each trigger has its own specific validation step, which allows the trigger to filter when it should and shouldn’t activate. For example, the Whenever a Card is Played event occurs when any card of any type (Minion, Spell, Weapon, etc.) is played. However, we want a card like Flamewaker to only trigger when a friendly spell is cast, so the Flamewaker’s validation step checks the card type and controller of the card played. In other words, Flamewaker’s trigger is only valid if the card played was a spell cast by Flamewaker’s controller. Before our changes, we would validate triggers whenever their related event occurred, even if that was in the middle of the sequence. After the mechanics update, all triggers are validated when the sequence begins, and then they are only allowed to activate if they were valid from the start. For further insight, let’s look at a bug that will be addressed by the update: Currently, if you have a Djinni of Zephyrs on the board and cast Entomb on an enemy minion, your Djinni of Zephyrs will trigger, sending itself back to your deck. Not great for you or the Djinni! Djinni of Zephyrs triggers off the After a Card is Played event, and his validation step should only pass if the card played was a spell cast on a different friendly minion. Entomb is a spell, but it was cast on an enemy minion, so why does Djinni trigger? Remember: the After a Card is Played event occurs after the ability on the played card resolves. In this case, that card is Entomb, and its ability moves the enemy minion into your deck. When the enemy minion enters your deck, it becomes a friendly minion. So, by the time the After a Card is Played event occurs, Djinni’s trigger is valid, because the minion is now friendly. After the mechanics update, Djinni’s trigger is validated at the beginning of the sequence when the enemy minion is still on the battlefield, and because the trigger isn’t valid at that point (since Entomb counts as being cast on an enemy minion), it’s prevented from triggering when the After a Card is Played event occurs. There is one final change we should mention, which is a tweak to when we validate triggers across different zones. Currently, the order in which triggers are validated and activated looks like this: 1) Validate Player 1 Battlefield triggers and then activate those that are valid. 2) Validate Player 1 Hand triggers and then activate those that are valid. 3) Validate Player 1 Deck triggers and then activate those that are valid. 4) Validate Player 2 Battlefield triggers and then activate those that are valid. 5) Validate Player 2 Hand triggers and then activate those that are valid. 6) Validate Player 2 Deck triggers and then activate those that are valid. That approach meant new triggers could appear in the middle of a sequence and still be activated, and a trigger’s validation could even be affected by previous triggers’ activations. The Bolvar Fordragon/Spirit Echo interaction detailed in the video was an example of a weird interaction caused by this. After the update, the order now looks like this: 1) Validate all Battlefield triggers 2) Validate all Hand triggers 3) Validate all Deck triggers 4) Activate Player 1 valid Battlefield triggers 5) Activate Player 1 valid Hand triggers 6) Activate Player 1 valid Deck triggers 7) Activate Player 2 valid Battlefield triggers 8) Activate Player 2 valid Hand triggers 9) Activate Player 2 valid Deck triggers This means all triggers are validated before any trigger is allowed to activate. Since all triggers are validated using the same game state, then triggers that appear in the middle aren’t allowed to fire. It’s important to note that the order in which triggers are activated is unchanged. Here are some more examples of sequences and their results before and after the mechanics update: Card Played Example Interaction: Player 1 has a Mad Scientist on the board, and a Mirror Entity in their deck. Player 2 plays Stampeding Kodo. Before Update 1) Stampeding Kodo kills Mad Scientist. 2) Mad Scientist pulls Mirror Entity into play. 3) Mirror Entity triggers, copying Stampeding Kodo. After Update 1) Stampeding Kodo kills Mad Scientist. 2) Mad Scientist pulls Mirror Entity into play. 3) Mirror Entity does NOT trigger, because it did not exist when Stampeding Kodo was played. Minion Destroyed Example Interaction: Player 1 has a Piloted Sky Golem and a Wisp on the board (played in that order). Player 1 plays Deathwing. The Piloted Sky Golem spawn a Cult Master from its Deathrattle. Before Update: The Cult Master's power triggers off of the Wisp's death, and Player 1 draws a card. After Update: The Cult Master does not trigger off the Wisp's death, because it wasn’t present to see the Wisp destroyed. Summon Minion Example Interaction: Player 1 has Starving Buzzard and Rotface on the board. Player 1 also has a Flame Leviathan on top of their deck. Player 1 plays Savannah Highmane. Starving Buzzard triggers off of Savannah Highmane, causing Player 1 to draw Flame Leviathan. Flame Leviathan triggers, dealing 2 damage to all characters. Rotface triggers off the damage and summons Spiritsinger Umbra. Before Update: Spirit Singer Umbra triggers off the Savannah Highmane and summons two hyenas. After Update: Spiritsinger Umbra does not trigger off the Savannah Highmane, because she was not present when Savannah Highmane was played. Thanks for Reading! Of course, our work to make Hearthstone better won’t stop here! Like the majority of odd interactions, each of these situations represents an edge case. While this update will address every situation we illustrated (among many others), there are still bound to be more. Keep in mind these are substantial changes to the core systems that underlie Hearthstone! We need to make them incrementally, and with the utmost care, but you can rest assured that we’ll continue to make improvements over time.Daxxarri0
Oct 11, 2017

Sep 13, 2017
Balance Change Patch Coming September 18
In the recent Upcoming Balance Changes – Update 9.1 blog, we discussed the details and philosophy behind balance updates that are coming to several Hearthstone cards: Innervate - Now reads: Gain 1 Mana Crystal this turn only. (Down from 2) Fiery War Axe - Now costs 3 mana. (Up from 2) Hex - Now costs 4 mana. (Up from 3) Murloc Warleader - Now reads: Your other Murlocs have +2 Attack. (Down from +2 Attack, +1 Health) Spreading Plague - Now costs 6 mana. (Up from 5) This patch is currently targeted for September 18th PDT. Please note that updates for mobile devices may take a few additional hours to propagate. Once these card changes are live, players will be able to disenchant cards that are not Basic (Murloc Warleader and Spreading Plague) for their full Arcane Dust value for two weeks. Basic cards cannot be disenchanted and will not be available for an Arcane Dust refund.Daxxarri0
Sep 13, 2017

Aug 10, 2017
Arise, Knights of the Frozen Throne!
Knights of the Frozen Throne has arrived! Card packs can be purchased and opened now! Log in now to receive 3 free Knights of the Frozen Throne card packs*! Knights of the Frozen Throne is live in the Americas. The Knights of the Frozen Throne The Lich King’s entrepreneurial ventures in the mortal world are at an end, but you can now face him in Hearthstone! He’s brought all the terrifying power of the Scourge to the tavern, and each of Hearthstone’s nine classic heroes is poised to embrace the Lich King’s dark power to serve him as a Legendary Death Knight Hero card! In Knights of the Frozen Throne, it’s up to you to decide how to wield the awesome abilities at their command! Hero cards are an entirely new card type that are neither spell, minion, nor weapon. When played, each Death Knight Hero card replaces your hero, casts a Battlecry, dons some hefty armor, AND provides a potent new Hero Power. While each Hero manifests their power as a Death Knight in a different way, they all offer possibilities that can transform the way you play Hearthstone. To see all of the Death Knight heroes, visit the Knights of the Frozen Throne gallery. Missions The denizens of Icecrown Citadel have been hard at work preparing the fortress for your arrival! Knights of the Frozen Throne is our first expansion to include free Missions where you’ll encounter dread foes that will put your Hearthstone skills to the test. As Knights of the Frozen Throne commences, you’ll face the lord of Icecrown Citadel. Completing this Prologue mission will add a free random Legendary Death Knight Hero card to your collection! If you can manage to overcome the final Mission with all nine Heroes, you’ll also unlock a new Paladin Hero: Prince Arthas, the young Paladin who claimed the cursed runeblade Frostmourne and became the Lich King! Lifesteal Knights of the Frozen Throne’s new keyword, Lifesteal, expands on an ability already found on some cards and gives its own dedicated keyword. When a card with Lifesteal deals damage, your hero is healed for the same amount. Witness the power of the Scourge! Mammoth Power Each new Hearthstone Year is an exciting time that brings a fresh start in the form of a new Standard format! The launch of Knights of the Frozen Throne marks the second expansion released in the Year of the Mammoth! Read more about formats and the Year of the Mammoth. The power of the Lich King is there for the taking. Claim it and wield the unholy might of a Death Knight as one of the Knights of the Frozen Throne! *3 free Knights of the Frozen Throne packs are a one-time offer and available only for a limited time. Offer available until October 31, 2017.Keganbe0
Aug 10, 2017

Aug 2, 2017
Your Month in Hearthstone
Everyone, get in here! We’re thrilled to announce a new and exciting way for you to celebrate your accomplishments in Hearthstone each month. We’ve been hard at work on Your Month in Hearthstone: a new monthly email that shares personal player and community stats, highlights epic moments, and gives you a more meaningful breakdown of your gameplay. These emails recap your personal Hearthstone accomplishments from the previous month and may include some other cool stats from the community. Share your stats on social media using the handy dandy social sharing buttons and check the email for more ways to engage with the community, including attending a Fireside Gathering near you. This email program is in beta, beginning in North America and rolling out globally in the following months. To be eligible to receive these emails, you must be opted-in to receive Blizzard emails. To Opt-In to Receive Emails: 1. Login to your account on the Battle.net site. 2. Navigate to your Communication Preferences under Settings. 3. Make sure the box next to “News and Special Offers from Blizzard” is checked. We can’t wait to celebrate more of the great things you accomplish each month! See you at the tavern!Keganbe0
Aug 2, 2017

Jul 28, 2017
Upcoming Card Change: Dreadsteed
With the launch of Knights of the Frozen Throne, we will be making a change to the Warlock card: Dreadsteed. Dreadsteed's text will read: Deathrattle: At the end of the turn, summon a Dreadsteed. While the current design of Dreadsteed isn’t an issue, its interactions with other cards that will be introduced in Knights of the Frozen Throne would be. Rather than change those cards to accommodate Dreadsteed, we made the decision to change Dreadsteed instead. This will prevent Dreadsteed from causing any issues in the upcoming expansion as well as in future sets.Keganbe0
Jul 28, 2017

Jul 11, 2017
Hearthstone Update – July 10
In this Hearthstone Update we’re making a balance change to The Caverns Below and opening pre-purchase for Knights of the Frozen Throne, Hearthstone’s next expansion. We’re also changing the type of some minions, adding more card backs, and fixing several bugs. Read on for details! Pre-purchase for Knights of the Frozen Throne, Hearthstone’s latest expansion, is now available! You can pre-purchase 50 card packs and get the Frostmourne card back for $49.99 USD. Balance Update The Caverns Below now reads: Quest: Play five minions with the same name. Reward: Crystal Core. The Caverns Below is uniquely powerful versus several slower, control-oriented decks and is played often enough to push those decks out of play. While deck diversity in Ranked Play is good, a change to The Caverns Below was still warranted to help keep that trend going into the future. The Caverns Below can now be disenchanted for full Arcane Dust value until July 24 PDT.Arena Note: Neutral cards form the basis for draft appearance rates. On average, Arena runs consist of 60% Common, 28% Rare, 10% Epic, and about 2% Legendary cards. Class minions are +100% more common than neutral cards. Class Spells and Weapons are +175% more common than neutral cards. Journey to Un'Goro cards receive an additional +50% increase in their appearance rate. The following cards are unavailable in arena Jungle Giants, The Marsh Queen, Open the Waygate, The Last Kaleidosaur, Awaken the Makers, The Caverns Below, Unite the Murlocs, Lakkari Sacrifice, Fire Plume’s Heart, Klaxxi Amber Weaver, Dark Arakkoa, Cult Sorcerer, Hooded Acolyte, Twilight Darkmender, Blade of C’Thun, Usher of Souls, Ancient Shieldbearer, Twilight Geomancer, Disciple of C’Thun, Twilight Elder, C’Thun’s Chosen, Crazed Worshipper, Skeram Cultist, Twin Emperor Vek’lor, Doomcaller, C’Thun, Dust Devil, Totemic Might, Ancestral Healing, Windspeaker, Sacrificial Pact, Sense Demons, Void Crusher, Succubus, Savagery, Soul of the Forest, Mark of Nature, Warsong Commander, Rampage, Starving Buzzard, Timber Wolf, Snipe, Mind Blast, Lightwell, Purify and Inner Fire. Flamestrike, Abyssal Enforcer, and Vicious Fledgling will appear in drafts 50% less often. Popular cards had small drop rate changes to address class balance concerns. (Note - These changes range from 1-5%. They are small enough that they are unlikely to be noticed during an individual draft, but should have enough cumulative impact to help improve class balance.) We’re working to improve the Arena experience, and your feedback is always appreciated!General The following minions are now Elementals:Jade Spirit, Djinni of Zephyrs, Flame of Azzinoth, Mana Geode, and Hallazeal, the Ascended. Added the following card backs: Frostmourne – Acquired from the Knights of the Frozen Throne pre-purchase bundle. HearthS’mores – Acquired from achieving Rank 20 in Ranked Play, July 2017. Fixed an issue that could cause Hearthstone to freeze when closing. Fixed some visual issues associated with Deck Importing. Prince Malchezaar is now more vocal at the start of a match. Battletags are now correctly aligned on all platforms. The ‘Done’ button that appears when all cards in a pack are revealed is now animated correctly. Card Back names are now the correct font size. Elite Tauren Chieftain and Gelbin Mekkatorque now have the correct Hall of Fame watermark. Resizing Hearthstone in windowed mode will no longer cause class names on player nameplates to disappear. Collection Manager tooltips can no longer overlap. Fixed an issue that could cause the ‘Back’ button of the Collection Manager to stop working when crafting or disenchanting a replacement card in a deck recipe. Fixed an issue that could cause the ‘Use your Dust to create this card.’ prompt to persist after leaving crafting mode. Resolved a visual issue with the game table when viewing the Hearthstone box.Fireside Gatherings Fixed an issue that could cause a challenge to be automatically declined if it was issued before a patron’s Friends list has updated. Patrons can no longer appear twice in the Friends list. Patrons will no longer appear on the Friends list if they are not logged into Hearthstone.Mobile Packs in the Open Packs screen now appear at the correct size. The highlight on the Make Favorite button in the Hero Selection area of the Collection Manager no longer appears off center.Keganbe0
Jul 11, 2017

Jul 7, 2017
Join the Knights of the Frozen Throne
The Scourge. Death Knights. The Lich King. These are among the most frightening, tragic elements of Azeroth’s past. The awful beings residing in Icecrown Citadel are dark, brooding, and terrifyingly powerful… but also really, really cool! The Hearthstone team knew they wanted to explore the story of the Lich King and his horrifying minions, but how to visit such grim themes while preserving the game's friendly and whimsical spirit? The answer was obvious: kill EVERYBODY! Well, not everybody. Just all nine Hearthstone heroes. . . In Hearthstone’s next expansion, Knights of the Frozen Throne, we ask the question: what happens when the heroes fall from the light? When the Lich King raises them from the dead as Death Knights, what will they do with the immense and terrible powers he gives them? But who is this Lich King we speak of? The Lord of the Scourge The tale of the Lich King is a tragic one. It is the story of a young hero willing to take any risk and employ the most extreme measures to save his people. His fear and desperation drove him to take up the cursed runeblade, Frostmourne. While he did gain great power in the process, the promise of power was a trap. The evil in the blade consumed him, setting him on the path to become one of the most powerful and horrifying beings in existence: the Lich King. As the Lich King, he manifests his strength in the physical realm as the strongest of the Death Knights—commanding power over mortal blood, freezing ice, and unholy corruption. When combined with the soul-devouring hunger of Frostmourne, he is an unstoppable, armor-clad juggernaut. If that weren’t enough, he also controls the vast undead army known as the Scourge from his Frozen Throne atop Icecrown Citadel. All told, the Lich King and his minions represent one of the greatest threats to life on Azeroth. Foremost among those minions: the Death Knights! Dead and Loving It Each Death Knight was once a mighty hero of Azeroth—but after the Lich King raises a hero from the dead, they gain unimaginable strength from beyond the grave. In Knights of the Frozen Throne, each of Hearthstone’s nine heroes has embraced the Lich King’s dark power to serve him as a Legendary Death Knight Hero card! Despite their transformation, they have not fallen completely under the Lich King’s sway, so it’ll be up to you to decide how to wield the awesome abilities at their command. Hero cards are an entirely new card type that are neither spell, minion, nor weapon. When played, each Death Knight Hero card replaces your hero, casts a Battlecry, dons some hefty armor, AND provides a new Hero Power. While each Death Knight hero is different, they all offer possibilities that can transform the way you play Hearthstone. Deathstalker Rexxar When Rexxar’s hunt came to a premature end, he was resurrected as Deathstalker Rexxar. When played, Deathstalker Rexxar fires a flurry of arrows—dealing 2 damage to all enemy minions—and replaces your hero, granting 5 armor and changing your Hero Power to Build-a-Beast. Build-a-Beast allows Deathstalker Rexxar to stitch together a horrifying new Zombeast by ‘Discovering’ pieces of two former animal friends. The new creation combines all the stats of both creatures he’s sewn together; mana cost, attack, health, and card text. The beastly abomination is then added to Deathstalker Rexxar’s hand to later be unleashed on a hapless foe. Terrifying indeed! Of course, there are many other threats to found within the Scourge. The Hunger Death Knights may be vicious combatants, but they are only a small fraction of the Lich King’s monstrous army. The legions of the Scourge are a menagerie of ravenous undead beings, from lowly ghouls and zombies to hulking, unspeakable abominations that have been stitched together from the flesh of countless victims. The teeming armies of the undead are as gruesome as they are deadly—so you can expect to find some potent abilities among their number! Some of the Lich King’s spells and minions have the awful power to draw sustenance from the very life essence of a victim: Lifesteal. Lifesteal expands on an ability already found on some cards and gives it a new dedicated keyword. When a card with Lifesteal deals damage, your hero is healed for the same amount. A useful ability to have at hand when you’ve already got both feet in the grave. Icecrown Citadel The first steps you’ll take to join the Knights of the Frozen Throne will be within Icecrown Citadel. There you’ll be faced with eight Missions – new single-player content for Hearthstone. Beginning with the Prologue, and then proceeding through grueling battles with Icecrown Citadel’s mightiest denizens, your trial will culminate in a showdown with the Lich King! Be forewarned! You may find that these are unlike the battles you’ve fought in the past. The forces of Icecrown Citadel are dangerous, and only the determined will prevail. The Lich King himself is a fiendishly difficult opponent, and his tactics will vary when facing each of the nine Classes. Though you risk your soul merely by entering Icecrown Citadel, the Missions will cost you nothing! The rewards for braving them, however, are enticing indeed: after completing all the Missions, you’ll receive a total of three Knights of the Frozen Throne card packs. Completing the Prologue mission will also add a random Legendary Death Knight Hero card to your collection! Pre-Purchase Knights of the Frozen Throne The Lich King rewards devotion. Visit the Blizzard Shop and Pre-purchase 50 Knights of the Frozen Throne card packs for $49.99 USD and receive the soul-devouring Frostmourne card back now. For more information, be sure to check out our blog: https://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/blog/20888401/Keganbe0
Jul 7, 2017

Jun 22, 2017
Upcoming Card Pack Changes
Having fun and exciting moments in Hearthstone is important to us, so today we’re announcing an upcoming change to the way you’ll experience cracking open Hearthstone card packs. WAAAH, Legendary! Starting with the release of Hearthstone’s next expansion (but applying to ALL Hearthstone card packs), every time you open a Legendary in a card pack, it will be a Legendary card from the same set that you don’t already own. Once you own either the golden or non-golden version of a Legendary card, you won’t get a duplicate of it until you own all the Legendary cards from that set. Soon, you’ll be able to craft a Legendary without the worry of opening it in your next few packs! In addition, you will never open more copies of any card in a pack than you can use in a single deck—no more opening three or more of the same common, rare, or epic card in one pack! Even More Legendary! Beginning with the release of the next expansion, you’re also guaranteed to get a Legendary within your first 10 packs of a new set. The release of a new Hearthstone expansion is a super exciting time, and with this change we hope your pack openings start off on a celebratory note! Combined, these changes should make the pack opening experience more exciting than ever—especially when you see that flash of gold heralding a Legendary card! The Greater Crater Promotion Elise Starseeker and her junior explorers have stumbled upon a fascinating discovery: a crater full of card packs! Starting in the next few days, we’re having a special limited time promotion for Journey to Un’Goro card pack bundles: the price stays the same, but the number of packs gets dino-sized! We can’t wait to see your Legendary pack openings starting with Hearthstone’s next expansion! For more information, make sure to check out our blog post here.Keganbe0
Jun 22, 2017

Jun 21, 2017
Fireside Gatherings Features: Now in Open Beta!
The new features coming to Fireside Gatherings are now in Open Beta! That means that you can head to an approved Fireside Gathering near you to try out all the new stuff! Here’s what you have to look forward to: Taverns - Fireside Gathering Innkeepers who have hosted at least one Fireside Gathering with checked-in guests can now found a Tavern on the Fireside Gatherings website! They can give their Tavern a unique name and design a Tavern sign that perfectly embodies the spirit of their communities! The big news is that Taverns persist between gatherings, and they need your support to grow! Fireside Gathering Friends List – If you’ve got Location Services enabled on your mobile device, Hearthstone will know when you’re attending a Fireside Gathering! Just push the lantern icon that appears at the top of your Friends List to check in! This button will search for a Fireside Gathering at your location, or help find an upcoming one nearby. After you check in, your friends list will display your fellow attendees, making it faster and easier to find a new friend to partner up with or play against. Fireside Brawls - Fireside Brawls are special Tavern Brawls that can only be played at Fireside Gatherings. Each month there will be a different Fireside Brawl to try. These brawls run the whole month with no breaks, and they continue to exist alongside each weekly Tavern Brawl. June’s Fireside Brawl is The Great Nefarian Challenge! In the Great Nefarian Challenge, you’ll cooperate with a partner (as Morgl and Anduin) to take down Nefarian. The Fireside twist is that if you and your partner succeed in this task, you’ll be presented with a score screen letting you know both the number of turns it took to take Nefarian down, and the highest minion attack you achieved over the course of the game. Your Innkeeper could even be packing some prizes for those who get the best scores! Innkeepers, grab a quest log for your gatherings: Nefarian Quests (color) | Nefarian Quests (black and white) Enjoy this month’s Fireside Brawl, then get ready for July’s Fireside Brawl: Tag Team! Want to attend or start a Tavern of your own? Visit www.firesidegatherings.com for more information! We hope to see you at a Fireside Gathering Tavern soon!Daxxarri0
Jun 21, 2017

Apr 4, 2017
Hearthstone Update - April 4, 2017
This Hearthstone update puts the final touches in place for the Year of the Mammoth and the launch of Journey to Un’Goro, Hearthstone’s latest expansion! We’re also adding a new Rogue Hero, paving the way for Fireside Gathering improvements, and fixing a few bugs. Read on to learn more! The Journey to Un’Goro commences soon! Hearthstone’s latest expansion takes brave explorers on an expedition to a primordial land packed with wonders. . . and danger! It introduces 135 all-new cards—including crackling elementals, gigantic dinosaurs, and a new card type: Quests! This update completes preparations for the Year of the Mammoth. The new Hearthstone year begins once Journey to Un’Goro goes live! Maiev Shadowsong, a new Rogue Hero, has emerged from the shadows! Win 10 Standard Ranked or Casual mode games after Journey to Un’Goro goes live to add her to your collection. This update adds functionality to support the upcoming Fireside Gatherings Tavern closed beta test. Participation in the closed beta test will be limited to select Fireside Gatherings initially, but we’ll be expanding Taverns to everyone once this phase of testing is complete! Taverns UI elements may be present, but non-functional, for some players while this test is under way. A new tooltip displays the number of cards in your hand. Improved consistency of some card text. [Android] You can now download Hearthstone data directly to an SD card during initial installation. Bug Fixes Jade Spirit will now correctly appear in searches using the term “Jade Golem”. When Herald Volazj copies a silenced minion, the copies it creates will now correctly also be silenced. Resolved an issue that would make it impossible to cast a spell that costs Health to kill your Hero, even while immune. Resolved an issue that would cause casting a 0 mana cost Jade Blossom to still sometimes consume mana. Nozdormu’s sandstorm visual will no longer persist if he is returned to a player’s hand.[li]Resolved several minor UI and graphics issues.Keganbe0
Apr 4, 2017

Mar 31, 2017
The Journey Begins April 6!
The most momentous scientific expedition in Hearthstone history is about to commence: the Journey to Un’Goro begins on April 6! Un’Goro Crater is a wondrous—yet dangerous—locale brimming with voracious vegetation, powerful elementals, gigantic primordial dinosaurs, and ancient mysteries waiting to be unraveled. You’ve been selected to join the expedition, and there’s still a little time left to prepare for the trip! Gear Up! Time may be short, but you can still ensure that you are geared up for every expedition eventuality by pre-purchasing a bundle of 50 Journey to Un’Goro card packs. Not only will you be more than ready to begin your trip, you’ll also add the Fossil card pack to your museum’s collection. PRE-PURCHASE! There's also still time to pick up a few more vital pieces of adventuring kit by logging into Hearthstone each day. The Year of the Mammoth celebration brings daily rewards that will no doubt be of use to you on your travels. Log in each day through April 5 to acquire your rewards, including free card packs, dust, gold, and even a golden Volcanosaur card! Expedition Research! While many mysteries yet remain, a number of fellow scientists and adventurers have expertise to share regarding what lurks in the misty green jungles of the crater. Slake your thirst for knowledge with their collective wisdom and experience! Elementals – Mike Donais Quests – Peter Whalen Adapt – Dean Ayala Art – Jerry Mascho, Jomaro Kindred, and Charlene Le Scanff E. Malone’s Expedition Journal Review a gallery of every catalogued inhabitant of Un’Goro The expedition begins within the week, so start your preparations for the Journey to Un’Goro now!Keganbe0
Mar 31, 2017

Mar 30, 2017
Hearthside Chat: The Art of Journey to Un'Goro
During the early stages of development for Journey to Un’Goro, the Hearthstone art team spent some time creating an initial pass at what an expedition through the primal lands of Azeroth might look like. To learn more about the visual challenges that needed to be met as Journey to Un'goro took form, we sat down with Hearthstone Concept Artists Jerry Mascho, Jomaro Kindred, and Charlene Le Scanff. Check out what they had to say, as well as some amazing art, in the full blog here!Keganbe0
Mar 30, 2017

Mar 29, 2017
Hearthside Chat: Adapt in Un'Goro with Dean Ayala
Dinosaurs: Supercharged! We knew very early on that dinosaurs would be a huge part of Journey to Un’Goro, but the questions was: “How can we make them unique to this universe?” We started to reimagine our dinosaurs as primal powerhouses that had learned to harness the latent elemental energy of this primal world—dinosaurs that adapted to spew molten lava from their backs or protect themselves with shields of crackling energy. These aren’t your normal dinosaurs . . . they’re dinosaurs powered up! That leads us into today’s topic: Adapt. Adapt is a new Hearthstone keyword that can be found on many of the dinosaurs in Journey to Un’Goro. When a minion Adapts, the player will be presented with 3 of 10 possible options to buff that minion. Origins of Adapt The first version of Adapt came about during development of the previous expansion, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan. A concept we had for one of the factions was all about building and upgrading mechanical creations. Whenever a Mech was played, you would get a Spare Part-style card that could give that Mech a new ability. Eventually we simplified the mechanic so that whenever you played a Mech, you could just pick a way to upgrade it. We loved how this played, but at the time we were happy with the Kabal, Jade, and Goon mechanics, and decided to push the idea to a future set. When it came time to brainstorm for Journey to Un’Goro, we came back to this idea of upgraded Mechs and thought it would be perfect for the story we wanted to tell about our dinosaurs. Near the beginning of Un’Goro, there were around 20 different options for Adapt. Originally we had adaptations that did things like deal damage to other creatures or let a player draw cards, but we felt the story of Adapt was clearer when the expectation was always that it would make the minion itself better. The adaptations that were the most engaging to us were the ones you chose based on the current game scenario rather than adaptations you might pick in any situation. Playing with Adapt Minions with abilities like Taunt, Divine Shield, or high attack and health values have a lot of interesting applications on their own. However, a lot of the cards with these attributes are only slotted into deck archetypes that fit with them. You might find cards with Taunt or high health mostly in control archetypes and cards with Divine Shield or high attack mostly in tempo or aggressive archetypes. One of the things we like about Adapt is that it affords you the versatility to make some unusual choices if the situation warrants it. Cards with keywords like Poisonous can create some very interesting board states, but the cards on their own might be too one-dimensional to warrant inclusion in your deck. One of our mechanical goals with Adapt was to take all of these interesting attributes and let players decide when and how to utilize them. Adapt also shares some similarities with another mechanic we created for League of Explorers: Discover. One of the greatest strengths of Discover is that it creates game scenarios that would never exist if players only had access to cards they put in their deck. Being presented with three random options went a long way in creating new and interesting situations that kept each game experience of Hearthstone fresh and exciting. Our goal with Adapt was to capture that same feeling, but with a set of possible outcomes small enough to allow for strategy and counterplay. We hope you enjoyed this insight into the development process, and we can’t wait for you to join us for Journey to Un’Goro in early April! For more information, make sure to check out the full blog here!Keganbe0
Mar 29, 2017

Mar 22, 2017
Hearthside Chat: Un'Goro Quests with Peter Whalen
This Jungle Hides Many Secrets As we figured out the initial story behind Journey to Un’Goro, we realized that the core fantasy had four pillars: dinosaurs, elementals, exploration, and the primal world itself. Dinosaurs and elementals had their own mechanics, so we needed one more that made players feel like they were on an expedition, exploring the awe-inspiring landscape of Un’Goro Crater itself. The idea of creating quest cards had been floating around on our team for a very long time. Back when we were first working on Whispers of the Old Gods, one of the designers pitched a new type of secret: Quests. A Quest was only active on your turn, and when you completed its condition, something awesome happened! When we needed a mechanic for exploring a forgotten world to find something truly amazing, these Quests seemed like a natural fit. Give Me a Quest Once we decided to give Quests a real shot in Journey to Un’Goro, we began heavily iterating on them. We started out with the idea that Quests would be Legendary and the rewards would be fantastic—the core fantasy of a Quest is that you work hard and are richly rewarded. As we’ve seen, that core idea carried through to the present with powerful Quest rewards like Amara, Nether Portal, and Megafin—cards we couldn’t make any other way. Basically everything else about Quest cards changed. When we started out, we wanted Quests to feel as much like normal cards as possible, which would make them fit into the rules naturally while being easier to understand. The first Priest Quest, for example, said “When this is the only card in your hand, transform it into an Un’Goro pack.” Other Quests looked very similar to the ones that are coming in Journey to Un’Goro, and they had requirements like “play a certain number of minions of a particular type.” We quickly realized that the most fun Quests were the ones that asked you to accomplish something over the course of a game—those paid off the core Quest fantasy the most. One of the things we noticed with Quests that transformed in your hand was that they were hugely frustrating for your opponent. From an opponent’s perspective, you had just played an insanely powerful card seemingly out of nowhere. To fix that, we required Quests cards to be played, and allowed both players to see their progress. In Un’Goro, Quests will appear around your portrait just like Secrets do. From there, we talked a lot about how Quests are played. We tried having them simply play themselves from your deck so they didn’t take up space in your opening hand, but that was a little too powerful. With no risk involved at all, every single deck would play Quests just in case they happened to satisfy the conditions, or simply to thin the deck by one card. On the other hand, having to draw a Quest felt really bad, because you couldn’t make progress on it until you drew it halfway through the game. That’s why we decided to have Quests start in your opening hand. Finally, we needed to decide how much mana Quests would cost, either (0) or (1). When they cost (0), playtesting revealed that players would often hold their Quest and then forget to play it before playing the card that triggered it. Making them cost (1) helped to slow the game down a little—letting the moment you played the quest feel more impactful—and required extra strategy around when to play the Quest. We still liked the overall power level the Quests had at (0), so we made the rewards a little better and the requirements a little easier to meet to balance things out. Seeing Double Once we had the mechanic for Quests figured out, they did a lot of great things for the set. On the art side, they gave us an opportunity to show off all the fantastical regions in Un’Goro Crater, from roiling tar pits and seething hot springs to the gleaming crystal caverns below. We relished every chance to bring the world of Un’Goro to life. On the design side, each class has a Quest to help anchor them in Un’Goro. We wanted the Quest decks to be fun and interesting, so we often provided additional support, like Tortollan Shellraiser and Crystalline Oracle in Priest. We think Quests are cool, but we also don’t expect every player to want to play with one in their deck, so we tried to make sure to provide other themes and individually interesting cards to explore, too. Because Quest cards are such a central focus of decks that include one, we wanted to make sure there was room to experiment with how you build a deck with a Quest in it. For example, a Unite the Murlocs deck could be very aggressive and play upwards of fifteen murlocs, while a less aggressive deck might use it as a way to get some late game oomph using only a handful of murlocs along with Call In the Finishers. Since we were making nine different Quests, one of our goals was that they feel different from each other. So far, we’ve shown several straightforward Quests: Summon seven minions with Deathrattle, summon ten murlocs, discard six cards, and so on. Those Quests are intuitive and offer a clear path for deckbuilding. However, some of our classes are naturally trickier than others, so for Rogue we went in a slightly different direction. Play four minions with the same name. How do you even do that? One option is to use cards that return minions to your hand like Shadowstep and Youthful Brewmaster. Another would be to use cards like Thistle Tea or Mimic Pod that give you multiple copies of a minion. Wait, what’s Mimic Pod? That’s one of the cards in Journey to Un’Goro that supports the Rogue Quest while also being interesting on its own. Because your deck has so many tricks to successfully complete the Quest, we wanted to provide you with the raw power you’d need to end the game. The Quest mechanic has come a long way from its humble beginnings two years ago, but its core remains intact. In Journey to Un’Goro, you’ll explore a forgotten world, quest for amazing things, and unleash their primal power on the Hearthstone board. For more information, make sure to check out the full blog here!Keganbe0
Mar 22, 2017

Mar 22, 2017
Hearthside Chat: Elementals of Un'Goro with Mike Donais
When venturing into Un’goro, be on your guard—the crater is home to huge dinosaurs, challenging Quests and primordial Elementals! Today we’re going to take a closer look at how Elementals were designed and what they do. When you play an Elemental, their latent energy sticks around and other Elementals can make use of it on the following turn. Many Elementals in Journey to Un’goro get a bonus effect if you played an Elemental on the previous turn. Elementals in your hand will light up with a unique glow when this bonus is active. How did we come up with the Elemental mechanic? We want each minion type to have its own unique feel and gameplay. When working on the Blackrock Mountain adventure, we decided some cards should get a bonus while you’re holding a Dragon in your hand. This let Dragon decks focus on having large minions, and their mechanic mitigates the downside of holding onto an expensive Dragon while you wait to have enough mana. We knew we had to come up with something unique for Elemental decks that made them feel very different. During the initial design phase of a set, we explore a lot of ideas—even ones we know won’t work in the end—because iterating on those ideas helps us learn what kinds of things are fun. Maybe we try one mechanic that turns out to be bad, but along the way we discover a certain element of it is entertaining. We can then make a new mechanic that gets right to the heart of the fun. In Journey to Un’Goro, we knew we wanted to add Elementals, and we tried about 10 different mechanical designs. By playing with each design and discussing them, we narrowed in on the best ones. Eventually, we chose our favorite and adjusted all the Elementals to match the one we liked best. What other designs for Elementals did we try out? 1. Elementals get a bonus if you cast a spell this turn. 2. Elementals get a bonus if the last card you played was an Elemental. 3. Elementals get a bonus if the last minion you played was an Elemental. 4. Elementals get a bonus if you control another Elemental. 5. Elemental was a minion type and a spell type. 6. Gain Elemental Charges and spend them to power up Elementals. Each of these designs hit us with different problems or challenges, causing us to eventually arrive at the mechanic we shipped with. Do all the new Elementals have this new mechanic? No, there are plenty of other Elementals in the set. Previously, we revealed Pyros. Pyros is particularly great because it can help trigger your Elementals when you play each incarnation of him. Why do we like this mechanic for Elementals? Elementals are fun because you can plan future turns in advance and get rewarded for it. You end up playing your turn differently because you’re thinking about what you want to do on your next turn …and even the turn after. Some of the Elemental cards are particularly good in control decks. Notice how Stone Sentinel is a late game card that gives you two Taunt minions? Ozruk, the new Legendary Elemental, is a huge Taunt minion when played in a deck with lots of other small Elementals. What existing cards became Elementals? When we created the Elemental minion type, we knew we would want to change some existing cards to become Elementals. We went back and looked at every Hearthstone card one by one and decided which ones to change. Here are the 18 cards we changed into Elementals: Water Elemental Anomalus Ragnaros Lightlord Lightspawn Dust Devil Unbound Elemental Fireguard Destroyer Rumbling Elemental Earth Elemental Fire Elemental Neptulon Al’Akir the Windlord Arcane Anomaly Ice Rager Magma Rager Frost Elemental Baron Geddon Ragnaros the Firelord What you should expect from Elementals in Un'Goro There are about 25 new Elementals in Un’goro. We decided to put them primarily in Shaman and Mage because those are the classes that traditionally use elemental magic and summon things like Water Elementals and Fire Elementals. However, there are a bunch of Elementals in neutral and the other classes, so everyone can dabble in Elementals if they want to. The elementals are callin’ and if you put them all in, you gon’ be ballin’. For more information, make sure to visit our blog here!Keganbe0
Mar 22, 2017

Feb 27, 2017
Prepare to Embark on a Journey to Un'Goro!
An ancient jungle full of primordial wonder, unearthed secrets, and elemental energy awaits in Hearthstone’s next expansion: Journey to Un’Goro. In Journey to Un’Goro, Plant Eats You Ready to join Elise Starseeker and her junior explorers on an expedition into the uncharted territory of Un’Goro crater? Your descent into these wild lands will be a thrilling adventure—you’ll make wondrous discoveries as you become one of the first to unearth mysteries long forgotten under the thick jungle mists. Un’Goro’s prehistoric inhabitants may not take kindly to your curiosity, but you never know who might appear to offer assistance in your time of need. Adapting to Your Surroundings Pack your journal and a trusty quill, because there’s more to the inhabitants of Un’Goro than meets the eye—135 all-new minions, spells, and more await you in Hearthstone’s newest expansion. Nothing is more primal than the elements themselves, and Un’Goro’s ancient energies empower the resident elementals with a vigor and ferocity not seen anywhere else. Some of Hearthstone’s familiar faces will gain the Elemental minion type, joining the ranks of Murlocs, Dragons, Pirates, and Beasts for exciting new synergies. Quickly, grab your quill—we’ve stumbled upon one of Un’Goro’s resident fauna, the Verdant Longneck. While it may seem like a simple, harmless herbivore at first glance, these creatures have the ability to adapt to threats in their environment. Write this next part down! The new Adapt keyword allows a minion to become infused with elemental power, granting it new properties. Similar to the discover mechanic, you will be presented with three options when you play a card with Adapt. You can choose one of these three options to immediately buff your minion. There are ten total Adaptations to choose from, so you’ll have plenty of options to respond to threats presented by your opponent. While we’re in Un’Goro, let’s be sure to see and document all we can. From the hottest volcano to the stickiest, bubbliest tar pits, there’s a wealth of new and exciting things to discover. Let’s make it a personal Quest to see them all! Quest cards are an exciting new card type coming to Hearthstone. Quest cards are Legendary, so you can only have one in your deck, and they’ll always appear in your opening hand. Each Quest will have prerequisites listed on it—should you complete them, you’ll be granted incredible rewards! Quests show up on your Hero Portrait once you play them. Check out the Priest Quest “Awaken the Makers” and the card awarded from completing it: Amara, Warden of Hope! Pull back the vines and peer through your spyglass at the delightfully overgrown Un'Goro game board! On a dangerous trek, it helps to be prepared for anything! Starting tomorrow, you can pre-purchase 50 Journey to Un’Goro card packs for $49.99 USD and receive the Fossil card back. The extra supplies will be waiting for you at base camp. By Elise’s calculations, you should arrive there in early April, just in time for the expansion’s official release. Wake Me Up Before You Un’Goro Be sure to triple-check your supplies before heading out on your expedition.! Dinosaur repellant? Check. Tar-Be-Gone? Check. A Hearthstone-compatible device to play on (Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android) . . . check. It looks like you’re almost ready to head out! Elise Starseeker and her band of brave, pint-sized explorers will be cataloguing their findings on ungoro.com. Since you’ve been enlisted to join Elise for this expedition, you’ll be able to influence where the explorers go and what they search for, so be sure to check back regularly and provide your expert opinion along the way. If you see anything peculiar, be sure to document your findings with the hashtag #UnGoro. A true adventurer shares their findings with the world! Be on the lookout—we’ll be revealing Un’Goro’s secrets (and minions, and spells) over on the official Hearthstone Facebook and Twitter. We hope you’ve enjoyed this first look at Journey to Un’Goro. More card reveals will begin on March 17. Get ready to take a walk on the wild side—The Year of the Mammoth and Journey to Un’Goro officially launch in early April!Zeriyah0
Feb 27, 2017

Feb 16, 2017
A Year of Mammoth Proportions!
We’ve got a lot of great things on the horizon for Hearthstone in 2017, including new content launches, innovative ways to get together and play with friends, improvements to keep Hearthstone fresh and exciting, and more! Head over to the announcement blog to read more on the exciting changes coming with the new year! http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/blog/20475356/a-year-of-mammoth-proportions-2-16-2017Jesse Hill0
Feb 16, 2017

Jan 19, 2017
RSVP for the HCT Bahamas!
We have some exciting details to share regarding the HCT Winter Championship in the Bahamas! Check out our discounted booking rates, special rewards for attending and how to RSVP for the event!Avarius0
Jan 19, 2017

Dec 2, 2016
Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Pack Issue
We are aware that some players are reporting having a higher chance of receiving tri-class cards from Mean Streets of Gadgetzan packs. We are investigating this issue currently, and will share further information in this thread as it becomes available.Daxxarri2
Dec 2, 2016

Dec 1, 2016
Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Now Available!
Hearthstone’s newest expansion, Mean Streets of Gadgetzan, is now available! The fragile truce between the city’s three crime families has been shattered, and now the rowdy Grimy Goons, the volatile Kabal, and the secretive Jade Lotus want you to choose sides! Fill your decks with 132 powerful new cards and take the fight to an all new game board in a rough-and-tumble turf war for the city of Gadgetzan. Join the fight in-game now or learn more here!Daxxarri0
Dec 1, 2016

Nov 8, 2016
Get a Load of the Grimy Goons
Welcome to Grimestreet, kid. We heard you was lookin’ for a family to join, so you just walked down the right alley. We’re the Grimy Goons, the toughest family in Gadgetzan, and we’re gonna be the ones who own this town. Now, cool your heels, and I’ll give you the rundown. Da Don First, our illustrious leader, da two-headed ogre Don Han’Cho. Han is a criminal mastermind—a real genius—and Cho? Well, Cho isn’t the sharpest axe in the armory, but he hits like a runaway kodo. More like a stampede of runaway kodos. Maybe you’ve heard dat two-headed ogres got some serious magical chops, but not Don Han’Cho. The Don don’t need magic cuz he’s got us, da Grimy Goons. We done real good for him too, what with all the robbin’, extortin’, blackmailin’—y’know all the good crimes. Not to mention our speciality: arms smugglin’. You might think Don Han’Cho has it all: he just bought the First Bank of Gadgetzan, he takes a cut from da loot fenced at da Gadgetzan Emporium, and he’s got a tight grip on the whole Grimestreet neighborhood. Believe me, Grimestreet is just the beginning, my friend. Don Han’Cho is preparin’ for a hostile takeover of Gadgetzan, so he’s been recruiting new Goons non-stop and stockpiling weapons like you wouldn’t believe. Now he’s got the most muscle, and arsenals stashed down every side-street and bolt-hole in dis town. When da coin drops, you know the Grimy Goons are gonna be ready. Da Guns Dis is my favorite part of being a Goon! We get the guns. And when I say guns, I mean the BIG guns, includin’ some very choice engineering. Grapplehammer is a talented guy, and his people dole out upgraded gear through the city’s pawn shops. It’s not just hardware neither; we also got access to some pretty scary beasts from da Arena! Basically, Goons stick together and we got all the best toys, so you ain’t never gonna get into a fight without some back up. Even the littlest guy can be a heavy hitter with the right pea-shooter in da violin case. Us Goons always try to smuggle in some hardware before we get into a brawl. So, here’s how that works. When a fellow Goon is played, they’ll make arrangements for their back-up to get some of the weapons we stashed in Gadgetzan. That can come in the shape of some very beefy buffs to the minions in your hand. Just wait ‘til you get a load of the goods in Don Han’Cho’s private stash! Da Goons Not just any joe-schmoe or jane-schmane can be a Grimy Goon, kid. You tough? Can you handle yourself in a stand-up fight? Good. You gotta know your way around weapons too, since that’s the edge (heh, see what I did there?) we got against the jerks who are trying to take OUR city. Having a sense of style is a plus. Think hats, vests, pinstripes, suspenders—that kind of thing. It’s not mandatory, but it’ll help keep you from gettin’ ventilated once the lead starts to fly, and you’ll look good doin’ it. We’re the tough guys. That means we got Hunters, we got Warriors, and we even got Paladins. Da Warriors are natural rough n’ tumble types, Hunters are amazin’ shots, and you ain’t never met an enforcer like an angry Paladin. They make sure everybody on Grimestreet follows da rules. Our rules. The bottom line for you is that some cards got the Grimy Goons symbol on ‘em right under the mana cost. Looks like a couple of spiked clubs. If a card got the sign, you can stick it in a Hunter, Warrior, OR Paladin deck. Pretty swell, huh? Da Other Guys Word on the street is that the other guys, the loony Kabal potion-leggers and those sneaky Jade Lotus weasels*, will probably send a recruiter your way. Dat’s fine—hear them out, then you forget all about ‘em and come back to us. We’ll take good care of you. Goons gotta stick together, right? As a little thank you for seeing us first, here’s a token of our appreciation: Da End Get the low down on what’s happening on the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan on da official site. And don’t forget to stockpile your own arsenal and get ready to hit the streets by pre-purchasing a bundle of Mean Streets of Gadgetzan cards! Speaking of, you can see all of the new Mean Streets of Gadgetzan cards as they’re revealed on dat book face thing, or whateva it is. *No offense, actual weasels.Daxxarri0
Nov 8, 2016

Nov 5, 2016
Inside the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan at BlizzCon!
Hearthstone developers Matt Place and Jomaro Kindred dive into what makes the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan so mean at BlizzCon 2016! The bustling port town of Gadgetzan has ushered in a new era of trade, but the city’s success has led to its unfortunate occupation by some rather unruly denizens, each with their own agendas. Crime families run the streets, each led by a powerful figurehead pulling the strings from the shadows. But what made us choose Gadgetzan as Hearthstone’s next expansion, and why did we give it such a nefarious twist? Nestled in the desert of Tanaris, the once land-locked goblin town of Gadgetzan was a haven for shady dealings and rule-bending trade, its locals and visitors showing no favoritism toward the Alliance nor the Horde. After the black dragon Deathwing tore apart Tanaris’ landscape with his fury, Gadgetzan suddenly found itself sitting aside the sea, the lucky recipient of an expanse of new beachfront property! With its new ports, trade boomed in Gadgetzan. The influx of trade stuffed the coffers of those on the ground floor of the development of new Gadgetzan. Everyone who was anyone wanted a piece of the action, using all the tricks up their sleeves to get the upper hand. Organized crime developed as the power struggle began to grow in the now bustling Gadgetzan—it was no longer the sleepy city it once was! Three distinct crime families came out on top of the power struggle, but as of yet there has been no clear winner. It’s up to you to make new friends (and perhaps a few new enemies) as you make a name for yourself in the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan! Each one of Gadgetzan’s crime families are associated with three of Hearthstone’s classes. We’ve introduced 9 tri-class cards that break the rules: each can be used by THREE different classes instead of just one to expand deckbuilding possibilities and really make the theme of each crime family stand out. Each family’s boss is also a Legendary tri-class card! The Grimy Goons specialize in arms dealing and disorganized crime, employing Hunters, Warriors, and Paladins to their aid. They want to be sure they come out on top once they make their big debut on the streets, and they’ll make sure to enforce the Goons’ way of doing things. The brutish ogre, Don Han’cho, leads the Grimy Goons, proving two heads are buffer—and better—than one! The Kabal’s Priests, Warlocks, and Mages excel in potion making, and they profit off the sale and trade of their mysterious and potent red mana. Whether you’re cooking up something to give you the upper hand or to blow your opponent to smithereens, you can never be quite sure what’s in a Kabalist’s potion vial. The expert mixologist and leader of the Kabal, Kazakus, can even create a custom potion for you on the fly, giving you the edge exactly when you need it. The secret arts of the Jade Lotus come to life through Rogues, Shamans, and Druids. These mystics and assassins lurk in the shadows, waiting for the next unfortunate target to walk down the wrong alley. Utilizing ancient and forbidden arts, the Jade Lotus and their mysterious leader have their own way of taking care of business—efficiently and quietly. Rumor has it they have an even greater secret just waiting to be unearthed . . . Each of the family’s associated classes have a fun and interesting way to utilize their strengths, making the common themes still feel unique! Not all of Gadgetzan’s citizens happen to be criminals, or are aligned with the three crime families. One thing that makes Gadgetzan special is that it’s a city of opportunity, and just about anyone can move in and make a name for themselves! Thanks for joining us for our deep dive into the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan! Starting Monday, November 7, join us on gadgetzan.com to see more cards revealed by content creators around the world and to pre-purchase the expansion before it goes live later this year!Aratil0
Nov 5, 2016

Nov 5, 2016
Extra! Extra! Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Revealed!
You think you’re big time, kid? You ain’t seen nothing yet! Come take a walk on the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan and I’ll show you who the real bosses are around here. Gadgetzan: City of Opportunity Listen up, pal. The great big city of Gadgetzan dat you see before you? It started out as a sleepy little desert town and a twinkle in da eye of a few ambitious folks eager to get their stubby little mitts on some coin. It only took a convenient, earth-shattering dragon attack to turn what were a few desert shanties into a bustling seaport, and dat brought in a new era of trade. With trade came money, and with money came power. Don’t fall asleep on me, kid, I’m tryin’ to make a point here! Whether you’re here to see the sights, sample a few of Gadgetzan’s five star-fire restaurants, or to find a new friend to watch your back, you should know what’s really goin’ on behind da scenes. Walk with me, I’ll show you the sights. Da architecture in this burg is first class! Who Runs the Streets? Gadgetzan might look all excitin’ and cosmopoli-whateva on the outside—they have done a good job getting you tourists to visit, after all—but it’s also packed with hooligans, brawlers, and assassins down every alley, watching and lurking in the shadows. If the word on the street is true, you’ve made a bit of a name for yourself, and those unsavory characters are gonna want to make sure that you’re on their side or on no side at all, if you catch my drift. Better get to know da crime families that run the streets, and quick. The Grimy Goons sure picked a flattering name for themselves. They’re your gangsters and weapon smugglers, eager to make their coin by equipping Gadgetzan with all sorts of untested and illegal weaponry. They’re easy to pick out of a crowd; you can usually smell ‘em before you see ‘em, but watch out for ill-fitting brown vests and garish orange ties. What they don’t have in brains, they make up with brawn. Members of the Jade Lotus family excel in the ancient arts of stealth, assassination, and turning murlocs into finjas. Yeah, I said finjas. Don’t give me that look. I didn’t come up with that name. Rumor has it they’re meddling with some sort of ancestral juju and hitting the local art and relic exhibits—I don’t know how true that is, but I’ll tell you one thing: the statues outside their business are really creepy. Need some mana quick? The Kabal got you covered. These crazy chemists control the illicit mana trade in Gadgetzan, and there’s never a shortage of magic-users looking for a little extra boost to their latest potent potable or kooky concoction. Just a warning: never drink what they offer you. You may up with a fuzzy coat of wool, or at the very least, a killer headache. Emphasis on the killer. Pre-Purchase Mean Streets of Gadgetzan Looking to get ahead of the pack? I can hook you up. Right now, you can pre-purchase a bundle of 50 Mean Streets of Gadgetzan card-packs for $49.99 USD. Don’t worry, my friends at the Bank of Gadgetzan are gonna hold ‘em in their vault for you until the expansion’s official release. It’ll be safe, I promise! Get it? SAFE! I kill me. Gearin’ Up for Release Got your buddies waiting for you? Good. You wanna be ready to hit the Mean Streets of Gadgetzan when it comes out for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices later this year. Just to keep you in the know, here’s some other important tidbits of information . . . but you didn’t hear it from me. The Grimy Goons, the Kabal, and the Jade Lotus are going to show off their best and brightest to try and recruit you to their side. Check out the minions, spells, and weapons each crime family has to offer at gadgetzan.com. I hear they’ve even recruited some other big shots from around the globe to show off some cards. My ugly goblin mug won’t be posting nothin’, but I’m sure there’s going to be some interesting pictures of Gadgetzan ending up on Facebook and Twitter. Who knows, you may get the attention of some of the big wigs if you use the hashtag #Gadgetzan. That’s when they know you’re in it to win— hashtags mean business. And hit up Talan at his bar if you have time. There’s always new information flowing through there, so I’m sure he’ll have something new to tell you. Listen bud, it’s been a pleasure, but I got things to do and people to see. The mean streets wait for no one. I’ll see you on the other side, boss.Aratil0
Nov 5, 2016

Oct 26, 2016
Hearthstone 2017 Esports Preview!
With the 2016 Hearthstone Championship Tour coming to an exciting conclusion as we crown a new World Champion at BlizzCon, we’d like to give you a sneak peek at what’s in store for Hearthstone esports next year! Hearthstone Championship Tour We introduced the 2016 Hearthstone Championship Tour (HCT) last year to help create a system that would bring together the most dedicated Hearthstone players in the world and showcase their ability to compete at the highest levels throughout the year. Standard also debuted with the inaugural Year of the Kraken which will wrap up when the first new Expansion of 2017 is released, ringing in the next Standard year. Through this journey, we’ve learned quite a bit, and we’ve heard your valuable feedback as well. We’re excited to share with you some key changes we’ll be making next year: Global Season Championships – We’d like to see more global clashes throughout the year, so we have combined the regional Season Championships into global Season Championships. Each of these global Season Championships next year will take place at a select host region, and will be held in venues that you can attend in-person to cheer on your favorite competitors! Season Playoffs – The regional Season Preliminaries have been replaced with regional Season Playoffs, and each of the 4 regions (Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and China) will send 4 representatives to the Season Championships each season. Each Season Playoffs will use the Swiss Tournament format and continue to include local Tavern Heroes, but they’ll be more competitive to qualify for, and include deeper prizing to reward more participants. Championships Synced with Standard – We’d like to keep the tournament meta fresh and exciting, and we will work toward aligning the HCT tournaments with our Standard Year and its associated content releases. What this means for next year is that each of the global Season Championships will take place during its own content cycle. This also means that the next World Championship will take place at the end the upcoming Standard year in early 2018. Points and Cups – We’ll be adjusting the amounts of points earned from tournaments and Ranked Play to be more evenly distributed and include more players. We’re also making improvements to the Cup system. Hearthstone Competitive Points from Ranked Play begins with the November Standard Ranked Play Season next month. Prize Pool – The total HCT prize pool for next year will be over $2 million USD. The World Championship will have a $1 million USD prize pool, each Season Championship will have a prize pool of a quarter million USD, and each Season Playoffs will have at least $20,000 USD in prizing to reward more participants. We’re very excited about the changes to the HCT next year, and we hope that you’ll find it a more exciting playing and viewing experience—but that’s not all! We have two new esports programs that we’d like to introduce for Hearthstone next year detailed below. Hearthstone Global Games We love seeing the passion of players rooting on their fellow players, particularly their local heroes. We also love the cooperation, collaboration, and camaraderie that emerges from team-based competitions. The Hearthstone Global Games (HGG) aims to scratch this competitive itch and will feature teams of players from various countries battling it out weekly in a global league. Each team in the HGG will consist of the top Hearthstone Competitive Point earner from their country and three of their fellow community-voted countrypersons. Cheer on competitors from your country like never before! Hearthstone Inn-vitationals Looking for a more light-hearted viewing experience? We’ve got you covered with the Hearthstone Inn-vitationals (HSI)! This series of exhibitions will showcase a variety of fun Hearthstone formats with some of your favorite Hearthstone personalities. Among the invitees will be popular streamers, winners of major tournaments, and celebrities. When a Hearthstone Inn-vitational rolls around, you won’t want to miss the zany antics or “playful banter” that might ensue! We hope you’ve enjoyed our brief preview of the exciting updates to our Hearthstone esports programs next year. We’ll have many more details to share with you when we officially announce each of the programs next year. We’d also love your feedback! Which program are you most excited about? Let us know by tweeting @PlayHearthstone with the #HCT, #HGG, or #HSI hashtags.Avarius0
Oct 26, 2016

Oct 20, 2016
Hearthstone Update - October 20, 2016
Ethereal Peddler now reads “Battlecry: If you’re holding any non-Rogue class cards, reduce their Cost by (2).” This was done to make it more clear, especially with upcoming releases. The following Murlocs that affected ALL Murlocs now only affect friendly ones, to improve the Murloc mirror-match. These cards are not eligible for a full dust refund. Grimscale Oracle now reads “Your other Murlocs have +1 Attack.” Coldlight Seer now reads “Battlecry: Give your other Murlocs +2 Health.” Murloc Tidecaller now reads “Whenever you summon a Murloc, gain +1 Attack.” Murloc Warleader now reads “Your other Murlocs have +2/+1.” The following bugs have been squashed: Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End now properly applies the Overload effect when it casts a spell with Overload. Sir Finley Mrrgglton no longer offers Lesser Heal as an option of Hero Powers to Discover when played by Tyrande. Casting Entomb on a transformed minion will no longer reveal the minion’s identity if it gets drawn again. Gladiator’s Longbow now properly prevents damage caused by Explosive Trap. The following card back has been added: Welcome Inn – Acquired by attending BlizzCon 2016 or purchasing a Virtual Ticket for BlizzCon 2016. Many new daily quests have been added. One Night in Karazhan cards will now show up with the same frequency as other card sets in the Arena Terestian Illhoof will no longer use Icky Imps to attack certain minions if it will cause Terestian Illhoof to take fatal damage. The curtains on the Karazhan board are now affected by the Nozdormu sandstorm. Hitting the Escape key while on the Main Hub once again opens the game menu. Illidan will once again play Darkscale Healer during the Tutorial. Spending and gaining Mana Crystals in rapid succession should no longer cause display issues. Cards should no longer rearrange themselves at random after playing several cards quickly. Casting Silvermoon Portal or Moonglade Portal with certain other cards will no longer cause summoned minions to float. Golden Heroes are now animated during Arena matches. Spectators should no longer experience graphical glitches when cards are returned to the hand. Golden Heroes will now appear golden in game again for all players. Malchezaar’s Imp will no longer be triggered by cards that do not get discarded. Non-targeted Hero powers will no longer remain flipped if used just before the rope timer forces the end of turn. Resolved an issue where an intended card played from the hand would occasionally be swapped with an adjacent card. Increased Spell Damage animations should no longer persist after minions with Spell Damage are removed from the battlefield. Quickly targeting a minion with Divine Shield with a second attack that would kill it now correctly displays the skull icon. Addressed a text inconsistency with “Choose One” cards. Heroes should no longer give a second warning that the turn is nearly over. Yogg-Saron, Hope's End will no longer cast spells after being Silenced. “Win 5 Tavern Brawls” quest will no longer be given during days that Tavern Brawls are not active. Resolved an issue where players that didn’t cycle quests after a certain period of time then cleared all quests at once could acquire multiple quests in a single day.Keganbe0
Oct 20, 2016

Oct 18, 2016
Inside the Arena
Who had the most 12-Win Arena runs? What card was drafted the most in a single deck? How many pirates were played? Find out the answer to these questions and more in our 2016 Arena Infographic! All regions can be found below. Europe Asia ChinaAvarius0
Oct 18, 2016

Oct 17, 2016
Introducing Heroic Tavern Brawl!
Ready for the ultimate competitive Tavern Brawl experience that will test Hearthstone’s best in an all-out battle for glory? If you think you’re up to the challenge, get your deck ready and dive into the fray, because Heroic Brawl is coming! Heroic Brawl will challenge even Hearthstone’s most experienced players as they vie for glory and in-game rewards! Participants will create a Standard deck from their existing card pool and lock it in before their first Heroic Brawl match. No changes can be made to your Heroic Brawl deck once you’ve locked it in, so be sure to do a bit of testing before you finalize your deck. Once you’ve locked in your Standard deck for Heroic Brawl, you’ll be pitted against other Heroic Brawlers in heated battle. Just like the Arena, you want to shoot for 12 wins to get the best rewards—but if you get three losses, you’re out! For Hearthstone’s best brawlers, 50 packs, a heap of Gold, piles of Arcane Dust, and three golden Legendaries sit at the end of the 12-win rainbow. The rewards are significantly different than what you have come to expect in the Arena, and the more games you win, the better they get. Are you ready to take on the best and brightest of competitive Hearthstone? Heroic Brawl is not for the faint of heart, and is a unique experience meant for the extremely competitive and experienced Hearthstone player. To speak more on Heroic Brawl and the philosophy behind it are two of Hearthstone’s game designers for Tavern Brawls, Dan Emmons and Pat Nagle. Are you cracking your knuckles in anticipation yet? Here’s how you can participate! Heroic Brawl lasts for only one normal Tavern Brawl week and has an entry fee of $9.99 USD or 1000 gold. You can participate in Heroic Brawl for a limited amount of completed runs. As mentioned above, Heroic Brawl rewards scale depending on how many wins you get, so be sure to do your best each run! If you’re not ready to throw down during Heroic Brawl week, you can watch your friends Brawl with Spectator Mode or cheer on your favorite streamers as they go for the gold. We’ll return to our normal Tavern Brawl schedule after the conclusion of the Heroic Tavern Brawl week. We hope that our Heroic Brawl scratches the competitive itch of the players looking for a high risk, high reward experience. Heroic Brawl is coming soon, so keep an eye out for updates. We’re always looking to try new things in Hearthstone, so let us know what you think of Heroic Brawl on the official Hearthstone forums!Zeriyah0
Oct 17, 2016

Sep 28, 2016
Upcoming Balance Changes - Update 6.1.3
Over the course of the Year of the Kraken, we’ve seen the Hearthstone meta game defined and refined by our players. As a result, we’ve seen a wider variety of deck archetypes being discovered than ever before. New strategies and playstyles have evolved over time entirely thanks to our creative and passionate community. With the introduction of new cards to the Hearthstone card pool comes additional chances to innovate and discover new decks. Sometimes, the introduction of additional cards can also lead to older cards gaining an overall power level boost. In many cases, dusting off old cards can be good for the game, and allow our players to create and expand on new themes, even if they may not have a place in the current meta. With Keeping Hearthstone Fresh in mind, we have to be acutely aware of the overall power levels of our cards contained within the evergreen Basic and Classic sets. Since these cards do not rotate along with certain expansion or adventure sets each year for our Standard mode players, managing and monitoring their strength is of great importance to the overall health of the game. In an upcoming update, we will be making changes to a few Basic and Classic cards, along with certain cards that may have felt too oppressive to our players in the current state of the meta game. Shaman Shaman has been representing a large population of the total decks played in Hearthstone for the past few months. While we think it’s great for Classes to fluctuate in power level, it’s important that Hearthstone always feels like there are a wide variety of decks to play with and against. We’re happy that Shaman has many deckbuilding options to choose from, but we are taking this opportunity to adjust two of the most widely played and frustrating Shaman cards. In the short-term, we think these adjustments bring Shaman closer to the pack in terms of both population and power level. In the long-term, we think these changes will make playing against Shaman less frustrating and make the deckbuilding decisions for Shaman more interesting. Rockbiter Weapon Rockbiter is the culprit of a few mass burst-damage combos in addition to being a reliable early game removal tool. Due to its strength in a variety of circumstances, it’s been one of the most widely played Shaman cards in Hearthstone’s history. Making changes to Basic cards that show up in every deck will help instigate more variety and help the Standard format succeed in the future. We’re preserving some of the synergistic potential of Rockbiter Weapon but decreasing its value as a removal tool by changing the cost of the card from 1 to 2 Mana. We considered other Shaman cards like Tunnel Trogg and Totem Golem, but these are both leaving Standard relatively soon, so we thought it would be better to change Rockbiter and improve the Standard format in a more permanent way. Tuskarr Totemic We like that Tuskarr is contributing to totem focused decks, but currently the power level is centered around the possibility of summoning cards like Totem Golem or Mana Tide Totem. This isn’t the most fun type of randomness for a card that is low mana and sees this much play. We want this card to be an option for decks that take advantage of extra totems through cards like Thing From Below or Primal Fusion, but a weaker option for players looking for standalone high power level options on turn three. That said, we are adjusting the battlecry for Tuskarr Totemic to only summon basic totems. Call of the Wild Although Call of the Wild is intended to be a powerful late game option, it is over performing at 8 mana. By moving it to 9 mana we intend to tone down its power enough that it won’t be an automatic inclusion in every Hunter deck and overshadow other strategies. Execute The Warrior class has access to a large amount of removal spells, and while we want to continue providing Warrior players with powerful removal options, Execute stands out as one that has proven to be too efficient in too many situations. We’re increasing the cost of Execute from 1 to 2 Mana in order to keep the card as an option closer in power level to other existing and future removal tools. Charge While we enjoy seeing players explore combo styles of play and will continue to support it in the future, we’ve seen in the past that the ability to give Charge to minions that don’t normally have it has been particularly problematic and also heavily restricts future cards. We’ve redesigned the card Charge in a way that provides opportunities for minion combat, but does not enable strategies that intend to win without allowing opponents to interact. Abusive Sergeant Aggressive decks are stronger than we would like right now, and Abusive Sergeant is in virtually all of them. We like that Abusive Sergeant is available to players using minion heavy strategies, but neutral cards in the base set should be narrow enough that they aren’t showing up in such a wide variety of circumstances. We’re changing Abusive Sergeant to be a 1/1 so the battlecry becomes the clear focus, rather than the card being a reasonable turn one option for all aggressive deck types. Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End This is the most controversial card we've ever made. Some people LOVE Yogg, and others hate it. We felt like seeing Yogg in tournaments was not where we originally hoped it would end up. Yogg should be for players who want to have a lot of fun, but maybe not the card you see frequently in high-level tournaments. Yogg is relatively weak in power level for nearly every class at every level, but is slightly above average in 2 decks – Tempo Mage and Token Druid. We didn't want to nerf it so much that it couldn't still be a fun card for players who currently love Yogg. Yogg-Saron will now stop casting spells if, during Yogg-Saron’s battlecry, it is destroyed, silenced, transformed, or returned to its owner’s hand. We tried a bunch of things and we think this is a significant enough nerf that it could reduce the amount it gets seen (especially in tournaments), while still maintaining the dream for people who love the card. In addition to the above changes, we will be addressing the bug where cards with Overload cast by Yogg-Saron, Hope’s End will not cause Overload to the player in a future update. Thanks for checking out our reasons behind the latest balance changes to Hearthstone. The updated cards will arrive as a part of our 6.1.3 update, which is currently planned to go live before the Last Call events for the Hearthstone Championship Tour.Aratil0
Sep 28, 2016

Sep 20, 2016
A message from Chris Metzen
[POSTED ON BEHALF OF CHRIS METZEN] I had just turned twenty years old when I started working at Blizzard. Seems like a lifetime ago. Guess it was. Those first few years were the start of a very grand adventure for me, one that would take me around the world, introduce me to thousands of wonderful geeks just like me—and ultimately shape the course of my adult life. Of course when I started, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to make games or build entertainment products.… But I had an insatiable passion for ideas. For stories. For heroes. My only real training before joining Blizzard was the long-running D&D campaign I had with my closest friends—Sam, Mike P., Daniel, and Mikey C. (you know who you are, boys…HAMRO!). Building ideas—vast worldscapes, characters, and plotlines with my friends was my first great love. I lived for it. It was a safe space amid the tension and change of some rough teenage years. The grand refuge of D&D was a glorious meeting of minds and imaginations where I felt I truly belonged. It was a space where friendship and imagination were inextricably linked. The sharing of ideas on the fly, the crazy, unexpected turns other players would take—it stretched our imaginations in ways we’d never have dreamt of on our own. I loved how roleplaying through adventures taught us so much about each other—and, more often than not, ourselves. Imagining together helped us make sense of the crazy world we were growing up in. It made us stronger together. I wouldn’t really understand the depth of it for many years, but I had learned an important truth from my friends back then: Creativity is relational. Looking back at my years at Blizzard, I see now how profoundly this idea has shaped my career. I see how profoundly my friends and coworkers at Blizzard have shaped me as a person. For nearly twenty-three years I’ve had the very distinct privilege of shaping worlds and building games with the brightest creative minds in entertainment. I’ve walked with giants (and stood on some giants’ shoulders, too). In short, I’ve had the time of my life. I pretty much had the coolest job ever—but the truth is, sometimes it was really hard. Building games with dozens of brilliant, passionate alpha-geeks with their own red-hot instincts and perspectives can be pretty tricky. Coming to consensus about certain design decisions, story motifs, or courses of art direction takes a lot of communication, patience, and “give and take.” It stretches you. Sometimes it wasn’t all that pretty. But engaging with your teammates and collaborating through the potential quagmire of all that creative tension is where the real magic happens. It’s not just the decisions you come to—or even the final shape of the product you craft.… It’s bigger than that—and infinitely more important. True collaboration builds trust—and trust is the basis of all lasting relationships. With trust you build more than just a great product. You build a TRIBE…that can build anything. A family of craftsmen. That’s what Blizzard has been for me. My second family, through all of life’s ups and downs, it’s always been there. The great, geeky backdrop of my life. I don’t just mean “the job” or even the creative mission—but the people. The people who over and over lifted me up, believed in me—and pushed me to find my potential as both an artist and as a leader all these years. To my Blizzard brothers and sisters…I wish I had the words. Everything just sounds…trite. All I can think of is… You helped me believe in myself and achieve every one of my wildest dreams. I am forever grateful to you. I love you all with everything I’ve got. Thank you. And to all of you out there in Blizzard’s vast gaming community—those of you I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in person and all of you around the world I’ve only heard about—thank you. Thank you all for letting me be a special part of your community. For letting me belong with you. We’ve shared countless adventures together and I’ve always been overwhelmed and humbled by your passion for our games as well your commitment to each other. Thank you for all the BlizzCon hugs, smiles, handshakes, and stories over the years. You will never know how much you’ve all touched my heart and inspired me to give my all into this craft. With that said, I’ll try to get down to the point, here. I’ve come to a turn in the road. A new, far quieter chapter in my life looms ahead. I am retiring. Yup. Hangin’ up my guns. Clockin’ out. Takin’ the last gryphon out of Stormwind. You get the picture. Crazy, I know. It’s a massive change for me, but it’s one I’ve been looking forward to for a while now. It’s ironic given the fact that things have never been better or more energized at Blizzard. Just this year alone has been incredible. Legion’s arrival. The launch of Overwatch. The Warcraft feature film. I’ve never been more proud of Blizzard and the quality of its products than I am now. It’s remarkable that even after all these years we can still reach new heights and take the world for an amazing ride. I believe Blizzard’s future is brighter than ever. I won’t lie—it’s going to be really hard stepping away from these worlds that I love. But I’m content that I’m leaving them in the hands of the most passionate, talented, and dedicated craftsmen ever assembled. I can’t wait to see where Blizzard’s worlds go next—and to experience them first-hand like everyone else does. As a fan. As an adventurer. Right back to the start. That’s just so cool… The reason I use the word “retire” is because I’m not going to some other company or starting up new projects or anything remotely like that. It’s been a long, amazing stretch of years. Now it’s time to slow it down. Rest. Lay around on the couch and get fat. Well, fatter.… Seriously though, I’ll be focusing on the one thing that matters most to me in all the world—my family. They’re the core of my life and the source of my deepest joy and inspiration. In addition to raising our two little ones, we recently welcomed our new baby into the family! Being home with them all, having time and space to really live…to love my wife with all my strength…that’s my career now. And I’ve never been happier. Ever. :) Peace out, y’all. I love you all. I’ll see you online. -ChrisAratil44
Sep 20, 2016

Sep 9, 2016
One Night in Karazhan is Now Live!
It’s time to get this party started! The free Prologue mission and The Parlor, the first wing of Hearthstone’s newest Adventure: One Night in Karazhan, are now LIVE in the Americas! Join the party in-game now or learn more here!Aratil22
Sep 9, 2016